MVP finalist Perry didn’t imagine this

Now imagine what the Ducks' high-scoring winger thought of the possibility of being named the NHL's most valuable player some six months ago. It became a reality Thursday when he was named as one of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy.

"I can say that no, it wasn't," Perry said, talking about whether being nominated was ever on his mind. "It's something that you don't really think about. You don't plan on it. At the end of the day, it's happened and it's exciting. It's a new chapter."

Perry, 25, is a first-time finalist after winning his first Maurice Richard Trophy by leading the league with 50 goals while also finishing third in scoring with 98 points — totals that far exceeded his previous career bests of 32 goals and 76 points.

The other two finalists for the award, which is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, are no surprise. Vancouver's Daniel Sedin and Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis finished one-two above Perry in the scoring race as both also led their teams to the postseason.

But Perry acknowledged that he wasn't caught off guard by his nomination as he and Sedin are largely considered the favorites for the NHL's most prestigious individual honor.

"It's been talked about for a while now," Perry said. "Whenever you hear your name as a finalist officially, it sinks in that much more."

Ducks GM Bob Murray stated his case for the winger that was the team's unquestioned best player this season.

"He deserves to win the award," Murray said. "He had a terrific season. Scoring 50 goals with many of them in critical situations. Killing penalties. He did it all."

Perry was leaned on heavily as he averaged 22 minutes, 18 seconds of ice time, ranking second about forwards across the league. He also scored 21 of his 50 goals in the third period as he played alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan on arguably the NHL's best line.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound forward added another dangerous element to his game as he scored a club-record four short-handed goals.

"I've got to give a lot of praise to my teammates and my linemates," Perry said. "The coaching staff helped me definitely. They put me in different roles this year where I could succeed. It was a lot of fun to be a part of."

No Ducks player has ever won the Hart. Perry joins Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya as those in franchise history who have ever selected as a finalist. Both eventually lost out to goalie Dominik Hasek, who won in 1997 and 1998.

If Perry wins, he would be the first Southern California-based player to capture the Hart since Wayne Gretzky did for the Kings in 1988-89.

"To be in that category in that group of guys is pretty tremendous," Perry said. "You've got the best player ever and then you've go the best goal scorer probably ever in Teemu ... to be in that category says a lot."

While he admitted how much he'd like to hear his name called on June 22 at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas, Perry was quite the diplomat when asked who would cast his vote for if he had one.

"I don't know," he said. "All three of us had different seasons and had fun seasons. They all had great seasons too. You look at Marty and what he did with Tampa and where he brought them and then you look at Sedin (and) what he did in Vancouver taking them to the top and being consistent all year.

"It's all not in my hands, that's for sure. I can't make that vote."

It has been an eventful day for the winger as he said he's received numerous text messages and telephone calls from family and friends. Perry also said he knows that the expectations will rise for him after his star turn in 2010-11, adding "that's what Randy told me too" in reference to Ducks coach Randy Carlyle.

But while he made a concerted effort toward putting pucks in the net and staying out of the penalty box, Perry still racked up 104 penalty minutes and said he still plans to be a nuisance on the ice.

"I still want to be the agitator and get under people's skin," he said. "That's my game. I can't change it."